Scythe-blade attachment.



No.854,05'1. I PATENTS-D MAY-51,19 7. c. A. murmur.

SCYTHE BLADE ATTACHMENT. APPLIOATIOI mam 001.11, 1906,

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CARL A. MEHAFFEY, OF BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA SCYTHE-BLADE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed October 11,1906- Serial No. 338,420-

To 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL A. ME-HAFFEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of Monroe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scythe-Blade Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for detachably connecting scythe blades to their handles; and its object is to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character by means of which the scythe blade may be easily and quickly attached to and removed from the handle without the use of a wrench or other tools.

The above and other objects are accom plished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a scythe showing the application of my invention Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the plane indicated by the line 22 in Fig. 1 and Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections taken respectively on the planes indicated by the lines 3-3 and 4-4 in Fig. 2.

The. scythe blade 1 is of the usual form having at its inner end a reduced shank or tang 2 which is tapered longitudinally and bent to form the right-angularly projecting stud. 3. The handle 4 is cylindrical in form and has at its outer end. a metal ferrule or sleeve 5 formed with the. flattened portion against which one side of the shank 2 lies, the projection or stud 3 of the latter fitting in a recess or seat 6 formed in the handle as clearly shown in Fig.2. The shank 2 ex tends through the eye 7 formed in the head of a clamping bolt 8 which latter extends transversely through the handle. The bolt8 has a nut 9 upon its projecting threaded end which latter extends through an aperture 10 in one end of a lever 11. This lever is in the form of a bar of tempered or resilient metal and is adapted to extend longitudinally of the handle 4. Formed upon the inner side of the lever 11 adjacent to its aperture 10 is a fulcrum block 12 adapted to engage the metal ferrule 5 and to space the lever from the handle. The inner end 13 of the lever is adapted to be engaged by a cam 14 which is pivoted upon a pin 15 betweenthe parallel ears 16 of a substantially U-shaped bracket secured upon the handle 4. The cam 14 is formed with the handle 17 by means of which it may be readily operated. The end 13 of the lever 11 is adapted to swing between ears or arms 16 so that it cannot shift laterally when the handle 17 of the cam is swung downwardly to cause the large portion of the cam 14 to force the end 1.3 of the lever inwardly. It-

will be noted that when the end. 13 of the lever 11 is forced inwardly by the cam its apertured end 10 will tend to move outwardly and thereby draw the eye bolt 8 through the opening in the handle 4 and cause the shank 2 of the scythe blade to be securely clamped upon the handle.

When it is desired to disconnect the scythe blade from the handle the handle 17 of the cam 14 is swung outwardly at ri ht-angles to the handle 4 so that the end 13 of the lever 11 may be swung outwardly from between the cars 16. When said end of the lever 11 is thus freed it may be swung laterally upon the bolt 8 so that the latter may be moved longitudinally through the handle a distance sufficient to permit the stud 3 on the shank 2 to be disengaged. from the recess 6 and then passed upwardly through the eye in the head of the bolt. the scythe blade to the handle the shank 2 is slipped. through the eye bolt and the pro' jection 3 seated in the recess 6. The lever 11 is then swung parallel with respect to the handle 4 and its end 13 passed between the cars 16. The handle 17 of the cam 14 is then swung inwardly so that the large portion of the cam engages the lever and causes it to draw the eye bolt through the handle. This construction provides a coupling device which is simple, strong, durable and com- .paratively inexpensive, which will securely lock the blade to the handle and which may be quickly and easily connected and disconnected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a blade having a shank and a stud thereon, a handle having a transverse aperture and a seat to receive said. stud, a clamping element engaged with said shank and passed through the aperture in said handle, a lever engaged with said clainping element, and a cam for clamping said lever.

2. The combination of a blade having a shank and a stud thereon, a handle having a transverse aperture and a seat to receive said stud, a bolt extending through the aperture When it is desired to attach in said handle and having an eye to receive said shank, a lever engaged with said eye bolt and having its fulcrum upon said handle, and a cam for operating said lever.

3. The combination of a blade having a shank and a stud thereon, a handle having a transverse aperture and a seat to receive said stud, a bolt passed through the aperture in said handle and having an eye to receive said shank, a nut upon said bolt, a resilient lever formed intermediate its ends with a fulcrum block to engage said handle, the outer end of said. lever being formed with an aperture to receive said bolt and being adapted to engage said nut, a U-shaped plate secured upon said handle and adapted to reoeive the inner end of said lever, and a cam pivoted in said plate and adapted to engage the inner end of said lever, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL A. MEHAFFEY. lVitnesses RoB'r G. MILLER, TRESSA MARLow. 

